Mercury (amalgam) Removal

"I've been going to the Smile Cliniq for the past couple of years, and the treatment, care and advice from Chetan and his team has been faultless. Highly recommended." - A.S.

"Yet again I have been blown away by Smile Cliniq. After my filling fell out on Sunday night, I was distraught. But I phoned the Cliniq in the morning and got an appointment for the same morning. Dr Kaher put me at ease, even though I was very anxious, and did an amazing job on my..." - Robyn B

"What a great dental clinic! I was having issues with a tooth and Dr Sarita Kotecha was brilliant. Solved my dental issue quickly and explained everything in a way that made me actually enjoy the appointment (!!). They were able to squeeze me in last minute too. Highly recommend t..." - Saya Jones

"The service was so good at Smile Cliniq by Dr Sarita Kotecha, I recommended my wife to change dentist. We've been looking for a good dentist since moving to London 2 and 1/2 years ago and the quality we had received from our previous dentist was sub-standard. That all changed at ..." - Greg Jones

"I have had a dentist phobia for many years and would shake all over whenever I was there. Dr Chetan Kaher changed that. He was calm and very patient and understanding of my anxiety. All the staff are thoughtful and friendly. I don't shake anymore, which is wonderful. I still have..." - DEBRA MERRITT

"Fantastic service, professional and top notch technology. Very hygenic and Dr Chetan Kaher has a very steady and experienced hand. Highly recommend." - Amrita Chauhan

"I have had a dentist phobia for many years and would shake all over whenever I was there. Dr Chetan Kaher changed that. He was calm and very patient and understanding of my anxiety. All the staff are thoughtful and friendly. I don't shake anymore, which is wonderful. I still have..." - DEBRA MERRITT

"Needed an emergency appointment, I was seen the same day! Great service and friendly staff" - Elena Milioto

"I found the the team at smile very professional and friendly, nothing was too much trouble. Chet presented all the options and my selected course of treatment took place over a year. As it involved one of my front top teeth I had some concerns and Chet was always available to ans..." - Irin Wu

"I have a hereditary tendency to get dental cavities, ensuing painful dental treatments, which left me scared of visiting dentists. Now, in my early thirties, I did everything to avoid dental checks. I also gave up on having cavity-free teeth. Two years ago, I was forced to find a..." - Rukmini

"I have just finished my year long lingual brace treatment with Dr Sarita Kotecha which has been a huge success. I'm so happy with the results! The staff at Smile Cliniq have always been friendly, helpful and welcoming; fitting me in for last minute appointments when necessary and..." - Maayan Bianca

"My wife needed to see a dentist on an emergency basis on a Saturday after a bad fall the evening before. We called on Saturday morning and they were able to take us that afternoon. The quality of care, both technically and inter-personally, could not have been better. If we lived..." - Hal N.

Mercury Filling Removal

We use high speed suction and sometimes rubber dam isolation to reduce inhalation of mercury vapour as the filling is removed.

We also use tungsten carbide burs which section the amalgam, allowing its removal in large pieces, rather than into small pieces and aerosol.

Patients are increasingly requesting mercury removal from teeth. For three main reasons

Health benefit. Certain patients do not react well to mercury and there has been much debate as to the health effects of mercury fillings.

Cosmetic. Patients generally do not like the look of black/silver fillings when they smile and hence are increasingly asking for tooth coloured fillings.

Sensitivity. Dental amalgam is made of several different metals, the main one being mercury. This can occasionally generate a battery effect on adjacent teeth with different metal fillings crowns in them causing occasional sensitivity.

What happens once the amalgam filling is removed?

Once removed we replace the restoration with strong, reliable composite resin restoration materials or porcelain (if the tooth requires strengthening). We use high quality and aesthetic composites such as Venus from Hereus Kulzer, and G-ænial from GC, with low shrinkage properties (to prevent post-operative sensitivity). A particular shade is selected to match the natural shade of your teeth. Often two or more shades maybe used, to build up the dentine and then the enamel shades (no tooth is one colour, instead the area near the gum is darker, whereas the area closer to the biting surface is more translucent and lighter).

The Health and Safety Executive states:

‘Mercury forms a large number of organic and inorganic compounds. Mercury vapour and almost all of these compounds are highly toxic. Less hazardous substitutes should be used whenever possible’.

More recently the British Dental Association has released a statement saying that more research needs to be carried out to ensure safety or amalgam fillings.

The UK Department of Health advises all dentists not to remove or replace amalgam fillings in pregnant women. We agree with the body of opinion that mercury can produce serious side effects in susceptible individuals.